As is the ocean, life is made up of ebbs and flows

Life spurs numerous emotions, and they help determine your degree of happiness. Do you feel like a failure? Failure means different things to different people. Everybody has to figure out what success and failure mean to them. To some, success consists of a loving family, food on the table and a comfortable amount of money.

To others, success means wealth, job fulfillment or using a coveted talent. Or some merely want to help other people. Whatever it is, success of any kind comes only through effort and continuing in a right thought pattern. If you think failure, you will get what you're expecting. The same holds true for success.

In striving for a goal, you can never give up. If you experience a setback, remember, it's a part of the process. It's simply one bump in your road. Life is like the ocean. It never stays the same.

Oprah Winfrey is a prime example of risings and fallings. She was fired from a job and sexually molested, and she experienced other setbacks. Now, as many know, she evidently has risen above those negatives. A lot, or most of it, was through sheer determination. She never gave up.

Like the ups and downs of the ocean, when the weather is turbulent, it's rough, and when the weather is favorable, it's peaceful. The waves can knock you down or sweep you along on a surf-board providing pleasure. Storms come but then the sun shines. One day, the water rises and another day, it falls.

The same is true of life. One day, everything is going great. Then, the next day, everything is suddenly falling apart. One's moods contribute to the ebb and flow of life, too. Moods can rise and fall, like the ocean, the weather or like the blowing wind. You have to know and recognize that although a situation may look hopeless today, it may look better tomorrow. Our perceptions can certainly depend on our moods. If you're tired, experiencing a bad day or have just heard bad news, you're unlikely to see anything as looking bright.

Mistakes affect our view of life, and everybody makes them, but you learn by making mistakes. Just as moods change according to what you're encountering, mistakes come and go, too. You needn't despair because of your mistakes because they are what have made you what you are. When you learn the lesson of a particular mistake, you won't make that same one again, it is hoped, unless you irresponsibly choose to.

Watch your thoughts. When your mind is at peace, you're less prone to make mistakes. When your mind is distraught or unsettled, you place yourself in the way of nervousness and poor judgment. An unsettled mind brings havoc. You feel as if you're thrashing around in a maze unable to think clearly to find where you are. Sometime you're peaceful, other times you're irritated and frustrated -- unable to focus. Those conditions, too, come and go.

Regardless of whether your life seems to be rising or falling, remember that no one is perfect. We are not meant to be perfect, and anything is possible, so don't dwell on mishaps.

Life is a series of lessons to be learned and seasons to be experienced. It's the longest journey you'll ever make. You can never give up on your dreams or tasks. Keep your head above water because when you cease to accept what comes and adapt to it, or make necessary changes, you will, indeed, sink. You can do whatever you have to do, but you must believe it's possible. As I quote so often. "Life is what your thoughts make of it." (James Allan, British Philosopher). Whatever mistakes you've made that still haunt you, know that you are still a child of God and recognize that "you are bigger than your worst act." (Oprah, Master Class).

It's all a part of the ebbing and flowing of life.

Ellen Shuck holds degrees in psychology, religious education and spiritual direction. Her blog, "Chocolate for the Soul: Wisdom for Life" may be accessed at semissourian.com. She is the author of the book, "Wisdom for the Journey."